Convertible watchcase.



T. F. HATHAWAY.

CONVERTIBLE WATGHCASE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 4, 1914.

LESQAEGD Patented Mayll, 1915.

gar/zap? i'haway 5y I THE NORRIS PETERS CO1, PHOTO-LITHOH WASHINGTON. D. C.

UNITED STATE% PATENT OFFIQ.

THOMAS F. HATI-IAWAY, OIE ELGIN, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO ILLINOIS WATCH CASE COMPANY, OF ELGIN, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

CONVERTIBLE WATGHCASE.

Application filed December 4, 1914.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS F. I-IATHA- WAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Elgin, in the county of Kane and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Convertible Watchcases, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to a watch case so designed and arranged as to be readily, easily and quickly converted from the wrist type of watch to the belt or chatelaine type. I

The objects of the present invention are to provide 'oppositely disposed swiveled mountings for attaching the ends of a chain or bracelet to the watch case whereby it is given the style and appearance of a wrist watch, and by the provision of such swivel mountings the watch case is capable of being turned over whenever desired without twisting the chain or bracelet, so that the watch may lie face downward upon the wrist of the wearer, thus keeping the crystal from being accidentally struck against surfaces which might shatter it, and also permit the display of any engraving, or inlay or other ornamental design on the back of the watch.

A further object is to arrange one of said swiveled mountings in a manner whereby the bow connecting the bracelet or chain with said mounting may be readily and easily disconnected therefrom, when said how is turned into a certain position, which position is not assumed while the watch is being worn by the wearer.

A further obiect is to give to the above mounting from which the bow is detachable, a form and configuration whereby when said bow is disconnected the watch assumes the appearance to all practical purposes of the ordinary belt or chatelaine type of watch.

The invention further consists in the features of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings: Figure l is a perspective of the watch case of the present invention when used as a wrist watch; Fig. 2 is a face view of said watch case when used as the chatelaine or belt type of watch; Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail of that end of the watch case to which the detachable bow of Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 11, 1915.

Serial No. 875,490.

the chain or bracelet is connected, showing in dotted lines the position assumed by the bow while the watch is being worn on the wrist of the wearer and in full lines the position in which the bow must be placed in order to detach it from the watch case; Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail of the detachable bow and the member on the watch case to which it is joined; Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of the bow shown in Fig. 4, showing the flat faces of the pintles thereon; and Fig. 6 is an elevation of the knob or stem attached to the watch case and to which the detachable bow is joined.

In the art to which the present invention relates, two characteristics have been found to be necessary or desirable in connection with wrist watch cases. The first is, that the connection between the watch case and chain or bracelet, should be of the swivel type in order that the watch may be readily turned to expose the face or back thereof without removing the same from the wearer, or without twisting the chain or bracelet. The second point is that at least one of the members on the watch case to which one end of the chain or bracelet is attached should be of such character as to permit of the bracelet or chain being removed and the watch used as the chatelaine or belt type, without it being readily discernible that it was intended as a watch of the wrist type variety. Owing to the fact that it is not always desirable to wear the watchas a wrist watch, it is frequently necessary for the user to possess two watches, one of the wrist variety, and one of the belt or chatelaine variety, the reason being that the members on the watch case of the wrist watch to which the ends of the chain or bracelet are attached, are of such a nature that if the watch were used as a chatelaine or belt watch, the watch case would not present the usual appearance of the belt or chatelaine type of watch, and it would be apparent that the watch was intended for use as a wrist watch, and had been converted to a use other than that intended.

In the present invention, the watch case is so designed and arranged, that although perfectly feasible and practical for use as a wrist watch, it can, nevertheless, be used as a chatelaine or belt type of watch without any body detecting that the watch was being used in a manner other than which it was intended to be.

Referring to the drawings, and particu larly Fig. 1, the device as there illustrated, consists of a watch case 7 provided at one end with the usual stem and crown 8 and pendant 12, and provided at its other end with a knob or protuberance 9. 7

As shown in Fig. 1, the watch is intended for use as a wrist watch and when so used a chain or bracelet 10 of suitable construction is employed which carried a bow*11 at one end attached to the pendant 12, which latter is swivelly mounted. A bow 13 is carried from the recesses 15 to the cross groove 17 formed at right angles'or approximate right angles to the grooves 16. By the revision of theseslots or grooves 16 and 1 the lip overhanging the recesses 15 is cut away or reduced at the points of location of the grooves 16, and an arrangement is therefore provided, so that the pintles 14 on the bov may be easily and readily pulled out from therecesses 15 when the bow is turned so as to bring the pintles 1 1 into alinement with the grooves 16. It is thought this will be clearly understood by referring to Figs. 3 and 4. From the above it will be seen that retraction or separation of the bow from the protuberance 9, can only be effected by turning the-bow so as to bring the pintles 14- into alinement with the grooves 16, that is the bow must be turned intoa certain predetermined position before it can be removed. The grooves are so formed in the construction shown that the how would have to be turned approximately at right angles to the position it ordinarily assumes on thewearer, in order to enable separation of the bow from the protuberance, such position could not be assumed while the watch is upon the wearerunless placed so by intent and thereforea separation can only be had by a desire of the user and by his deliberately placing the parts in a position to make the separation possible. The how 11, can, of course, be left on at all times, and need not be readily separable, since such bow is employed with the chatelaine or belt type of watch as well as with the'wri'st variety.

- When the bow 1 3 is disconnected in the manner above stated, and the chain or bracelet 1 0 removed, it is obvious that a watch is produced which save for the smallprot uberance 9, is of the design ordinarily employed in the chatelaine or belt type of watches. The protuberance 9 is-not of such- 7 nature and size as to indicate that thewatch was. one designed solely for the wrist use after the chain or bracelet is removed Thus by this simple construction awatch case is produced, which can be readily converted from the wrist variety to the chatelaine or belt variety, or vice versa and at the same time have the appearance of'the ordinary wrist Watch or chatelaine or belt watch, as the case may be. Each of the bows 11 and 13 being of similar size and stylethe watch case is'well balanced and of symmetrical ap- V being swivelly mounted upon said case, re-

cesses in saidprotuberance adapted to' re ceive the pintles of said second bow, and

said protuberance being configured to" per-- mit removal of said second bow therefrom when said second bow is turned into a predetermined scribed.

3. A watch case having a pendant on' one side thereof adapted to receive a bow, a protuberance on the opposite side thereof, a second bow, recesses in said protuberance to position, substantially as de-' receive the pintles of said-- second bow, op-- positely disposed grooves leading from the outer edge of said protuberance'to' saidrece'sses whereby said pintles can-abe' with drawn from said protuberanceonly when said second bow is'turned to aline said pin'-:

tles with said scribed.

'4. A watch case having a pendant on one side thereof adapted to-receive a bow, a protuberanoe'in' the form of a ball on the other side thereof,'a second bow, recessesin said grooves, substantially asdeprotuberance forreceiving the pi'ntles of said second bow, oppositely disposed grooves extending from the outer edge of said protuberanc'e tosaid recesses and forming passages to permit withdrawal of the pintles from the protuberance when" said'bow'is turnedto aline said pintles with said 7 grooves, substantially as described.

5. A watch case having'a pendant on one side-thereof adapted to re'ceive a bow-,a protuberance on the other side thereof, a" second bow, wedge shaped pintles extending" protuberance by turning said bow to aline said pintles with said grooves, substantially as described.

THOMAS F. HATHAWAY.

Witnesses:

A. J. STRICKMAN, PHILIP E. G. HoUY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents Washington, D. G. 

